Android App - #1 eReader app in the Android Market globally.

SCION · 11-01-2011, 08:18 PM

Here's a quote from Kobo General Manager, Matthew Welch:

Quote:

The company is basically two years old, and we’ve gone to 5 million users globally, with 2.5 million in the U.S. And if you look at the Android store globally, we’re the number one eReader app in the world. And the iOS store, we’re always one of the tops, but obviously Apple has a home field advantage with iBook, so you’re never really going to be the top of that store, but it’s pretty impressive if you take the numbers over all.

There's a discussion in the Vox sub-forum about the shortcomings of the Android app in comparison to the iPad app. Someone mentioned the iPad app probably gets more development resources, and that's why it's feature rich.

According to this quote, it's puzzling as to why the Android app (currently in the Android Market) basically looks the same as when it was first released more than a year ago. It was updated in June to include Reading Life, but the feature set continues to be abysmal. The app on the Vox and select tablets is a couple of steps up, but is no where near what the iPad app offers.

If the Android app is the #1 eReader app in the world, why do its users continue to miss out on features that are available in the iPad app? Why is the Android app in the Market still nothing more than a bare-boned phone app?

taming · 11-01-2011, 08:38 PM

If I had to guess (and it is a guess) they knew they were doing an Android tablet form reader and waited for some of the development until they could be assured that they were, to the greatest degree possible, developing something that would (mostly) work for both the Vox and other Android platforms. Android tablets are catching on now, but remember that iPADs became popular quite awhile before that. Android also was releasing new flavours of Android that would be better on tablets, and that has only happened fairly recently.

Most of the Android apps are on phones, at the moment.

fbrII · 11-01-2011, 09:16 PM

Also strange in the world of Android and Kobo is the HTC-Flyer a 7" Android tablet that has a built in reader application "powered by Kobo". Purchases are made from Kobo and your Kobo library (previous purchases) are all set up on a separate screen for easy downloads.

Stranger still, is the application doesn't look like any other Kobo application, rather it's almost identical in appearance to the iBook application. It has the same page illustration background and swipes/taps give you a curled page turning effect. It also comes with different colored background themes. All in all a very nice application, but unlike anything else they have produced.

filmo · 11-01-2011, 09:50 PM

Maybe HTC helped polish the KOBO app or have programming tools to make it easier to customise. HTC has always done a lot to improve Androde experience on their products and could have done same for KOBO.

fbrII · 11-04-2011, 09:19 AM

My guess, the more I think about it is; HTC either bought or developed the reader app and then looked for a vendor to purchase books from and picked Kobo. The app is totally different from anything else by Kobo and I don't see them developing an app that appears to be an almost exact copy of the iBook app.

Plus - the wording "powered" by Kobo rather than created/designed by Kobo makes me suspect that the design is not Kobo's.

taming · 11-04-2011, 09:31 AM

The Flyer App would have had its own team, if Kobo developed it alone or with HTC. This was the first device to have the kind of stylus action that was incorporated into the device, as well. I know it was a very big deal when they chose Kobo for their eBook app.

Jeff1192 · 01-26-2012, 04:47 PM

I recently purchased an ASUS Transformer Prime and I have to say that I was really disappointed with the lack of development of the Android Kobo app (especially in light of the fact that the Vox is an Android device). I really like the iOS Kobo app on my phone....but the screen is obviously way too small. I was looking forward to the same experience in Android. But there are no where near the number of features on it compared to the iOS version. Hopefully now that Android tablets are taking a bigger piece of the market share Kobo will spend some time developing it's Android app.

Jeff

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11-01-2011, 08:38 PM	#2
taming Trying for calm & polite Posts: 4,012 Karma: 9455193 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Mostly in Canada Device: kobo original, WiFI, Touch, Glo, and Aura	If I had to guess (and it is a guess) they knew they were doing an Android tablet form reader and waited for some of the development until they could be assured that they were, to the greatest degree possible, developing something that would (mostly) work for both the Vox and other Android platforms. Android tablets are catching on now, but remember that iPADs became popular quite awhile before that. Android also was releasing new flavours of Android that would be better on tablets, and that has only happened fairly recently. Most of the Android apps are on phones, at the moment.

11-01-2011, 09:16 PM	#3
fbrII F. BluDevil Posts: 428 Karma: 1152548 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: St. Louis Missouri Device: Pocketbook Inkpad3 pro, Kobo Libra, Kindle Paperwhite	Also strange in the world of Android and Kobo is the HTC-Flyer a 7" Android tablet that has a built in reader application "powered by Kobo". Purchases are made from Kobo and your Kobo library (previous purchases) are all set up on a separate screen for easy downloads. Stranger still, is the application doesn't look like any other Kobo application, rather it's almost identical in appearance to the iBook application. It has the same page illustration background and swipes/taps give you a curled page turning effect. It also comes with different colored background themes. All in all a very nice application, but unlike anything else they have produced.

11-01-2011, 09:50 PM	#4
filmo Wizard Posts: 1,326 Karma: 1077205 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: Kobo Touch, Sony T1, Kobo Mini	Maybe HTC helped polish the KOBO app or have programming tools to make it easier to customise. HTC has always done a lot to improve Androde experience on their products and could have done same for KOBO.

11-04-2011, 09:19 AM	#5
fbrII F. BluDevil Posts: 428 Karma: 1152548 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: St. Louis Missouri Device: Pocketbook Inkpad3 pro, Kobo Libra, Kindle Paperwhite	My guess, the more I think about it is; HTC either bought or developed the reader app and then looked for a vendor to purchase books from and picked Kobo. The app is totally different from anything else by Kobo and I don't see them developing an app that appears to be an almost exact copy of the iBook app. Plus - the wording "powered" by Kobo rather than created/designed by Kobo makes me suspect that the design is not Kobo's.

11-04-2011, 09:31 AM	#6
taming Trying for calm & polite Posts: 4,012 Karma: 9455193 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Mostly in Canada Device: kobo original, WiFI, Touch, Glo, and Aura	The Flyer App would have had its own team, if Kobo developed it alone or with HTC. This was the first device to have the kind of stylus action that was incorporated into the device, as well. I know it was a very big deal when they chose Kobo for their eBook app.

01-26-2012, 04:47 PM	#7
Jeff1192 Connoisseur Posts: 62 Karma: 5802 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Device: Kobo touch	I recently purchased an ASUS Transformer Prime and I have to say that I was really disappointed with the lack of development of the Android Kobo app (especially in light of the fact that the Vox is an Android device). I really like the iOS Kobo app on my phone....but the screen is obviously way too small. I was looking forward to the same experience in Android. But there are no where near the number of features on it compared to the iOS version. Hopefully now that Android tablets are taking a bigger piece of the market share Kobo will spend some time developing it's Android app. Jeff

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